Keyboard for registers



April 25, 1933. LD 1,906,063

KEYBOARD FOR REG I STERS Filed Oct. 8, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet l OOOOOOOOOO OOGOOOOO OOOGGOOOOOOOOOOOCDOGO Jm /iw,

A ril 25, 1933. s. HILDER KEYBOARD FOR REGISTERS Filed Oct. 8, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 l.\' VENTOR April 25, 1933. s, HILDER KEYBOARD FOR REGISTERS Filed Oct. 8, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Y :7 U P INVENTO/f April 25, 1933. 4 s. HILDER 1,906,063

KEYBOARD FOR REGISTERS Filed Oct. 8, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 April 25, 1933-. a H L'DER 1,906,063

KEYBOARD FOR REGISTERS Filed Oct. 8, 1931 I s sheets-sheet 5 INVENTOR Patented Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STA ES PATENT OFFICE STUART HILDEB, 0] GLENCARLYN, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO MONROE CALCULATING MACHINE COMPANY, 0! ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE KEYBOARD FOR REGISTERS Application filed October 8 1931. Serial No. 567,635..

The invention relates to clearing means for the keyboards of key set registers, having for its object the provision of means whereby a visual indication of the amount set will remain for the guidance of the operator up to the time that anew amount is set, and whereby the keyboard may nevertheless be automatically cleared. The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawlngs, illustratin the invention:

ig. 1 is a plan view of a calculatin machine constructed in accordance with t e invention.

.Fig. 2 is a right hand side'elevation of the same with the casing broken away.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the ke board.

ig. 4 is a detail side elevation of the clearing means, shown as applied to a machine in which the keyboard is cleared by depression of a series of zero keys.

i 5 is a right hand side elevation of a calculating machine, with casing broken away, showing the application of the inven- 1 tion to an index dial mechanism.

7 eration of said actuating mechanism. The

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating ghelmeans for selectively setting the index Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the index dial mechanism with the casing in section and parts of the machine removed.

Fig. 8 is a detail right side elevation of the repeatnon-repeat mechanism.

In these drawings, 18 represents the digit keys of a calculating machine, whereby the di erential actuating mechanism is set to represent the amount to be registered upon the numeral wheels of the machine upon opkeys 18 set the actuators differentially by means of selector bails 19 or by any other suitable devices. The arrangement here shown is. that disclosed in the U. S. patent to E. E. .Phinney 1,399,652, issued December 6, 1921, and entitled Setting-up means for calculatin machines.

Upon epression from normal raised position any key 18 will move the related bails 19 to set the actuator in accordance with the board 18, the actuating mechanism is rotated one or more times, to register the amounts set on the keyboard, or a multiple of such amount in the numeral wheels, the keys 18 remaining latched in set position during this operation. Upon depression of any key18, in setting up a new amount to be registered, means will 0 operated to automatically release all of the keys 18 from depressed position, this means operating during the first part of the downward movement of the key and not interfering with the latching of said key in depressed position. This means comprlses a slide 86 extending transversely of the keyboard and engaging each of the looking bails 6, so that any one of said bails, upon depression of a related key will move said slide endwise, and thereby, through bell crank lever 87, will trip a latch 88 engaging a pawl 89 carried by arm 90, so that said awl will be moved forwardly under the influence of spring 91 and will contact with one arm of a bell crank lever 26 engagin a second transverse slide 23 and moving sai slide against each of the locking bails 6, to rock the same and release the keys 18. Pawl 89-, continuing to move forwardly, a, cam

. surface 92 of the pawl will engage a pin 93' latched and spring 91 retensioned upon the next rotation of the actuating means. This is accomplished by means of a cam 94 mounted on a rotary part connected with the differential actuators, said cam operating against an arm 95 of lever 90 to move the latter rearwardly and engage the pawl 89 with the spring latch 88.

Preferably, amounts may also be cleared from the keyboard 18 by a manual clearing device, for which purpose the usual clear key 30 may be provided, serving upon depression to rock bell lever 26 and clear the keyboard by means of a lever 36, engaged by the key and engaging the bell lever.

The invention may be applied to a calculating machine constructed in accordance with the disclosure of Patent 1,750,565, issued to E. F. Britten, Jr. on March 11, 1930, and entitled Zero key mechanism for keyset registers.

According to this disclosure the keyboard is cleared by the depression of a series of zero keys 38 (Fig. 4) one for each column of digit keys, the keys 38 cooperating with the locking bails 6 in the same manner as the other keys, and therefore, serving upon depression to release other keys depressed in the respective columns. In this form of the invention, the pawl 89 contacts with a bell crank lever 96, which lever operates an arm 33, forming part of a universal bail 34 lying above the bent ends 32 of the keys 38, so that upon movement of the bell crank lever 96, bail 34 will pull down any of the keys 38 which may be in raised position. This application of the invention allows amounts to be set in the keyboard 18 in such a way that they will not be cleared by the automatic clearing. means or by depression of the clear key. This is accomplished by depressing a zero key 38 simultaneously with the depression of a digit key in the same column, thus, the zero keybeing already depressed, the related bails 6 will not be operated thereby upon movement of the clearing bail 34, and the amount will remain set in the keyboard. This is used in various double operations, wherein it is desired to retain a constant factor in one part of the keyboard, while changing an amount set in another part of the keyboard.

By the use of the above-described forms of the invention the keyboard clearing means is rendered entirely automatic, operating in every case only when a. new amount is to be set on the keys. It will therefore be-unnecessary to use the repeat non-repeat mechanism, provided heretofore in automatically cleared mechanisms, in order to disable the means operable upon each cycle of the actuators to clear the key board, and thereby permit multiplication and division to be performed.

There is, therefore, nothing which need be set before beginning an operation, and which the o erator must observe in order to secure the esired result. If desired, however, means may be provided for disabling the automatic releasing means, so that the settin will not be cleared upon depression of a ey 18. For this purpose a key 97 is shown, this key, by means of a lever 98 operatin to hold the forward end of pawl 89 raised out of operative position. Key 97 may either be held depressed while one or more keys 18 are set, or the key 97 may be moved to bring a shoulder 99 thereof under the keyboard plate, whereby the clearing means will remain inoperative until the key 97 is released. Obviously, if desired, key 97 might be made without the shoulder 99, and o erated only in the manner first describe The invention may also be used in order to retain an indication of the amount set in the keyboard 18 upon index dials 408 (Fig. 5). In this form of the invention a repeat-non-re at mechanism would be used, so that the eyboard 18 could be cleared during each cycle of operation of the actuators, without removing the indication of the amount which had been set up and registered. v

The setting means, whereby the keys 18, in addition to the adjustment of selector .bails 19, will also set the index dials 408,

may be in accordance with the disclosure of application #414,142, filed by G. C. Chase and L. R. Brown on December 14, 1929, and entitled Calculating and listing machines, since issued (May 10, 1932) as Patent No. 1,857,356.

In accordance with this disclosure, two

.slides 400 and 401 lie beneath key stems of each row of keys 18, and are provided with graduated cam lugs whereby one or both of the slides may be moved forwardly from normal position. Slides 400 and 401 are connected by a lever 403, and upon movement of either slide, said lever will fulcrum upon the other slide, to impart a given degree of movement to a locator member 406. Slide 400 is adjusted to one of four ositions, whereby, with slide 401 in norma position, index d1al408 will be moved to register 1, 2, 3 or 4. Slide 401 is moved from normal to a single adjusted position, the 10- cator 406 bein thereby moved in the opposite direction, ve numeral places to register five. With slide 401 in adjusted position, movement of slide 400 will retract locator 406 toward its median or normal position to register 6, 7, 8 or 9, as will be obvious from ins ection of the diagram, Fig. 6.

moving back and forth, locator 406, by means of the opposed lugs 474, engaging a rock such index dial about its shaft, to bring flange 482 of the related index dial 408, will the appropriate numeral marking under the opening in the keyboard.

During this setting operation, the various index dials 408 will be held in adjusted position by the respective latched down keys 18. Upon operation of the machine, to register the amount, special locking means will be employed to hold the index dials 408 as adjusted, and the keys 18 will be released by means of cam 56 (Fig. 8) fast upon the rotary part of the machine, and engaging a lever 57 and moving the same against the bell lever 26, to rock the locking bails 6, through the slide 23.

The index dials 408 are locked by means of a bail 413 engaging serrated portions of the dials, bail .413 having a spring connection 415 with a frame 475, moved by a cam 476 secured upon the rotary shaft of the machine. Jam 47 6 moves frame 475 against the tension of a spring 477, and engages a part of the frame With a latch 478, w ereby the spring is held under tension. Locator 406 has in and slot connection with frame 475, so t at when the frame is moved by cam 476 to en gage the locking bail 413, the locators will be moved away from the flanges 482 of the index dials, so that they move independently thereof.

Upon setting u the next amount on the keyboard 18, a sli e 479, similar to the slide 86, previously described, will be moved end- Wise, a lower extension 480 of this slide (Fi 7); operating a lever 481 to release the late .4 8, whereupon the spring 477 will raise the frame 475 and lockin bail 413 will be released from the serrations of the index dials. At the same time, the locators 406, moving upwardly against the flanges 482 will locate the index dials in accordance with the new key setting.

The repeat-non-repeat mechanism may be of any desired construction, one example being shown in Fig. 8, wherein a non-re at key 58 serves to move the lever 57 out o the path of cam 56, so that no automatic clearing im ulse will be received.

t be noted that when this non-repeat mechanism operates, slide 23 moves the key lockin bails 6, these bails in turn moving the slide 4 9, lever 481 and latch 478. This does not result in the release of frame 475, however, since at this time looking cam 476 o rates to hold the frame depressed until s ide 479 is released and the latch reengaged.

Cam 476 has a lost motion connection with its supporting shaft, similar to the lost motion connection of non-repeat cam 56, so that these two cams operate in unison, in. either direction of rotation.

Iclaim:

1. In a register having keyboard mechanism comprising a series of members adapted tobe set differentially in accordance with an amount to be registered,'means for holdfor registering in accordance with the amount set; s ring-actuated releasing means operable in t e setting of any one of said members to disengage the holding means, and means operable by the registering means to energize the releasing means for placing the releasing means in operative condition.

3. In a register having keyboard mechanism com rising a plurality of series of keys setta le selectively in accordance with an amount to be registered, means for holding said keys in set osition, and registering means settable by said keys; spring-actuated releasing means operable to disengage the holdin the refiaasing means means operable upon setting movement of any one of said keys to release said latch, and means operable by the re 'stering means to retension and latch the re easing means.

4. In a register havin keyboard mechanism comprising a plura 1ty of rows of keys settable selectively in accordance with an amount to be registered, a locking bail related to each said row and adapted to hold a key in set position, and registering means settable by said keys; releasing means including a spring-actuated member and a member movable thereby and contacting with the locking bails, a latch for said sprin -actuated member, a member enga ed b said lockin bails and operatively re ated to said late and means operable b the registering means to retension and late the sprinlg-actuated member.

5. n a register having keyboard mechanism comprising a plurality of series of keys settable selectively in accordance withan amount to be registered, means for holding said keys in set position, an index member related to each series and adjustableto (118- play a numeral corresponding the set key, registering means settable by said keys, and means 0 rable by the registering means to release t e holding means; means operable by the registering means to lock the index members in adjusted position, and means operable upon setting movement of any one of said keys to release the locking means.

6. In a register having keyboard mecha nism comprising a plurality of series of keys settable selectively in accordance 'with an amount to be registered, means for holding means, a latch adapted to restrain said keys in set position an index member related to each series an adjustable to dislay a numeral correspondm to the set ey, registering means settable y said keys, and means operable by the registering means to release the holding means; means operable by the registering means to lock the index members in adjusted position, a sprin operable to release the locking means, a late adapted to hold said locking means in active position, and means operable upon setting movement of any one of said keys to release said'latch.

Signed at Orange, in the county of Essex and State 01E New Jersey, this 6th day of October, A. D. 1931.

STUART HILDER. 

